There’s been a recent massive increase in the attention paid to women’s sports. That’s been seen in scheduling decisions, TV ratings, gate attendance, and more. And we’re also seeing it in the media realm, with many outlets launching women’s sports-specific initiatives. The latest is a newsletter from famed industry publication Sports Business Journal.
That newsletter will be helmed by Rachel Axon, who’s been with SBJ since 2023 following a long career in investigations, enterprise, and investigations at USA Today. Axon posted some details on the upcoming newsletter Thursday, as well as how to pitch her with stories:
🚨 Big news 🚨
We’re launching a women’s sports newsletter!
Sports Business Journal subscribers can find it in their inboxes every other Tuesday, starting May 13. I am beyond excited to spearhead this effort, but it’s going to leverage the expertise across our newsroom.
🧵
— Rachel Axon (@rachelaxon.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 1:48 PM
This will be focused on women’s sports, which is different than women *in* sports.
A good test – are women playing on the field, court, ice, etc.? We want those business stories.
Is a woman working in a men’s league? We love that for them, but that’s not for this newsletter.
— Rachel Axon (@rachelaxon.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 1:49 PM
What can you do?
1. As always, subscribe and read 📰
2. Get in touch 📨My email is raxon (at) sportsbusinessjournal.com
If you’re already in touch with an SBJ reporter on a different beat and have a women’s sports story (like on facilities, media, etc.), they are a great place to start too!
— Rachel Axon (@rachelaxon.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 1:50 PM
tl;dr – We’re bringing the expertise we have at SBJ and focusing more time and resources on telling the stories in the business of women’s sports.
I’m thrilled, and I hope you’ll read along.
— Rachel Axon (@rachelaxon.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 1:51 PM
We’ve seen a lot of recent efforts emphasizing women’s sports from networks, other content providers, and media organizations. And that makes sense considering the numbers, with women’s sports across the board recently estimated as generating more than $1 billion in revenue in 2024, and with women’s sports dominating viewer interest in even wider events like the Olympics.
It’s certainly notable to SBJ jump on that train, though. And considering how much unique business-side reporting that publication provides elsewhere, they may be able to add a lot to the women’s sports conversation.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.